We have had several frosty mornings in the past week (this morning's temp was 25), but the daytime temperatures have been in the 40's and 50's. This week, daytime temperatures are forecasted in the 50's and 60's. I have covered four of the five frames with plastic in the hope that it will give the remaining vegetables a warm boost during the day and keep them from freezing at night. I have drawn up plans for a greenhouse made with electrical conduit, PVC pipe, a 2x6 ridge and plastic, which will provide a double layer of protection. My inspiration for the greenhouse is Eliot Coleman's "Four Season Harvest".
In other news this weekend, I trapped and relocated a pesky red squirrel who failed to get the message that I didn't want him chewing holes in my garage and I finished a fence around our arbor vitae to protect them from the deer. For the past few years, I have been wrapping the arbor vitae with burlap, usually at the last minute, in the dark, in the midst of a driving snow. This year, I drove metal stakes and hung a 5' high fence on a nice sunny day, a definite improvement.
I have seen it mentioned often that deer like to eat arbor vitae. In my experience, they will only eat it when everything else is covered with snow. In other words, they don't prefer it but will eat it when nothing else is available.
I am imagining all of my plants thriving under the protective warmth of the plastic, hopefully they are not getting too hot. I will provide an update later this week.
